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Why doesn't Apple do search?
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arrrc
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Apr 11, 2013, 04:38 AM
 
I keep reading and experiencing all the crap in the Android marketplace. I go online and Google is a bit of a mess. It works, and I admire their search algorithm. But it's ugly. And there's so much spam.

Why doesn't Apple do search? To me search is Apple's big, final frontier. Ya, ya, the TV is important, but search is colossal. By doing search, Apple would:

1. Clean up the Web. They'd treat it like the App Store. You'd submit your Website for inclusion in their index. They'd have content and design standards that would be next to impossible for spammers to meet. And the presentation of search results, filters like images and image galleries would be well designed.
2. They'd compete with Google by: a. owning search data. b. making Siri pervasive to everyone: it'd be smart search in the browser. c. offering Maps online... and more.

Siri could take over search... Apple could make dumb search smart search. They could clean up the web. And they could tightly integrate their search engine and all of its data into iOS and Mac OS X devices. You'd then start seeing things like the Weather App lose its Yahoo watermark... Siri wouldn't need Yahoo for sports scores or movie listings... Apple could own all the data and drive Siri.
     
Spheric Harlot
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Apr 11, 2013, 04:49 AM
 
Search is hard. Really, really hard.

And there are viable alternatives on the Search market. Pissed off at Google's in-your-face commercialization? Use Bing. Or Yahoo.
     
besson3c
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Apr 11, 2013, 11:05 AM
 
Define what you mean by spam?

I think the next appropriate step for apple is for them to do web services. There is no imaginable way they could roll out search without there being massive problems, and there is no way they could keep up with manual content vetting, even if that was your thing. Even if they could, the porn industry would wage war against Apple.
     
Phileas
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Apr 11, 2013, 11:35 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Search is hard. Really, really hard.
This.
     
Doc HM
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Apr 12, 2013, 03:13 AM
 
to do search well you need to be really REALLY good at all the things that Apple is really REALLY bad at.
This space for Hire! Reasonable rates. Reach an audience of literally dozens!
     
Shaddim
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Apr 12, 2013, 03:23 AM
 
Originally Posted by Spheric Harlot View Post
Search is hard. Really, really hard.

And there are viable alternatives on the Search market. Pissed off at Google's in-your-face commercialization? Use Bing. Or Yahoo.
If you want to stop Google in their tracks, you can use Adblock Plus and lock it down.
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
     
Spheric Harlot
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Apr 12, 2013, 03:59 AM
 
I'm annoyed by all the bullshit they inject into their web searches.

Using AdBlock also stops all the websites with free content in their tracks; I don't generally block ads for this reason.

In addition, much of my browsing happens on iOS these days.
     
exca1ibur
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Apr 12, 2013, 04:13 AM
 
I use Adblock, Click2Flash and I also block Google Analytics and Google Adsense.
     
Shaddim
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Apr 12, 2013, 05:50 AM
 
You can whitelist the sites that you want to accept ads from, I do that with MacNN and a few others.
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
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mindwaves
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Apr 12, 2013, 06:54 AM
 
I would not use an apple based search system. There are already plenty of very good search sites. I also use Adblock and Ghostery.
     
cgc
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Apr 12, 2013, 07:03 AM
 
Search is a cut throat market where it's really hard to gain marketshare. I use Bing because I distrust the Google...but Google generally finds more relevant sites. Bing is more aestheticall pleasing to me.

Compare Bing v. Google for yourself at BingItOn.
"Like a midget at a urinal, I was going to have to stay on my toes." Frank Drebin, Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult
     
Phileas
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Apr 12, 2013, 11:08 AM
 
Bing sucks so bad, it's not even funny.

We have several of our clients on page one of google, all done by content development that is attracting serious page hits - i.e no garbage SEO manipulation. On bing, nothing. Not just that, a search for these companies by name doesn't even bring them up until page 3, behind completely and utterly irrelevant results.
     
BLAZE_MkIV
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Apr 12, 2013, 12:06 PM
 
The removal of the black list feature in google search means all the crappy forum / usnet clone sites show up again and pollute my results. Ex: expertsexchange
     
Salty
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Apr 14, 2013, 10:07 PM
 
If Apple wanted to get into search all they'd need to do would be put something like Silk into iOS and Safari. Suddenly they have usage stats (hopefully that they wouldn't tie to a particular user) and they could know what users are searching for, what sites they're staying on, what's useful etc.

Google has gotten absolutely useless! When I'm at work I often have to try and get customers to go to a simple site rda.shaw.ca it's a remote desktop program we use for customers either with complicated problems or who simply have no clue how to use a computer. And you have no idea how hard it is to get a customer to that page, even if they type rda.shaw.ca into Google. (I had no idea before but 90%+ of the people I talk to have no concept of how the address bar operates.)
     
besson3c
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Apr 14, 2013, 10:38 PM
 
Originally Posted by Salty View Post
If Apple wanted to get into search all they'd need to do would be put something like Silk into iOS and Safari. Suddenly they have usage stats (hopefully that they wouldn't tie to a particular user) and they could know what users are searching for, what sites they're staying on, what's useful etc.

They would have to do a LOT more than just that. In addition to the vast complexities of the Google search algorithms, the sheer amount of traffic Google Search gets is insane. That Google search turns up results in sheer milliseconds is pure magic. Apple has yet to demonstrate they can build a web service at this scale.
     
besson3c
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Apr 15, 2013, 03:11 PM
 
Also, Salty, the fact that Shaw — Remote Desktop Assistance tool for computer sharing - Shaw.ca is a redirect elsewhere, and the fact that the target page is pretty badly coded might be a part of the problem. Still, when I type in rda.shaw.ca into a Google search this site is the first item that comes up in my list - it's even autocompleted. So, I'm not sure what the problem you are describing is, but I'm definitely not seeing anything fault worthy as far as Google goes.
     
imitchellg5
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Apr 16, 2013, 09:42 PM
 
Apple higher ups have said that they aren't interested in search in events like AllThingsD. Apple may have the capital required to undertake such a project but I think Apple understand there are more relevant pursuits. Apple has never been a company to compete just to compete; they compete to be better; at this stage it's not worth the effort to do search better than Google. Just look at the massive effort Bing has made with little return.
     
P
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Apr 17, 2013, 08:25 AM
 
All of you disappointed in current search engines: Anyone tried DuckDuckGo? I use it on occasion. Not as fast as Google, but it gets good results.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Laminar
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Apr 17, 2013, 10:49 AM
 
And doesn't track you.
     
   
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